"I'm one person who will not vote for a Mormon," Al Michaud of Dover shouted at Romney when the former Massachusetts governor approached him inside Harvey's Bakery. Romney was kicking off the second of two day's worth of campaign visits in the lead primary state.If Gov. Romney ends up running against Sen. Clinton it will be fascinating to see what happens. My guess? More people are scared of a Mormon in the White House than a woman. Perhaps this is what happens when we've had candidates and interest groups suggesting that there is, in fact, a religious test for office - namely that only conservative Christians should be elected.
...Michaud later told reporters he was not "a right-winger," alluding to some evangelical Christians who have compared Romney's faith to a cult. Instead, Michaud stated he was "a liberal."
May 2007 Archives
Thursday May 31, 2007
The Intractable Romney Problem
Today in New Hampshire, Gov. Romney heard this from a restaurant patron:
posted by
J-Walking
@ 2:58pm
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Add to NewsvineThursday May 31, 2007
The Compassionate Conservative He Might Have Been
I watch and listen to President Bush of late and am thrilled at the compassionate conservative he is again. On immigration he has worked out a bill that to fix a broken immigration system by granting a path to citizenship for 12 million illegal immigrants who deserve to have a the chance for citizenship. On Darfur, he has finally rolled out "Plan B" - a set of sanctions aimed at halting the on-going genocide. And on AIDS in Africa, President Bush announced an additional $30 billion to fight the disease and save lives.
Yes, there are problems with each of these items. On immigration, not enough attention has been paid to family reunification. On Darfur, the announcements should have come far earlier and should have carried more weight. On AIDS, the funding doesn't begin until after he leaves office.
But the fact is that Bush, who began his campaign for president in 1999 by claiming he was a completely different kind of conservative, is beginning to look like the president he promised he would be - a president willing to take on his own party to lead them down a path of conscience-based conservatism; a president willing to use our government's resources to help alleviate great suffering; a president defined less by politics and more by compassion.
What makes this moment so tough to take, however, is that these are things he has done in just the past few weeks. It is hard not to fantasize about what the rest of the presidency might have looked like had this same compassion-based politics been at the philosophical center. Imagine, for instance, what would have happened with Katrina. Imagine the lives saved and city and region already rebuilt and bustling with life and energy. Imagine when it came to drug and alcohol treatment and cancer research and homelessness programs and charity tax credits and on and on what might have been. Imagine if you will how different things in Iraq might look right now and the lives not lost. Still, I am deeply thankful that at the end of his days in the White House, he seems to be remembering what he promised he would do in his first days.
What a president he might have been.
Yes, there are problems with each of these items. On immigration, not enough attention has been paid to family reunification. On Darfur, the announcements should have come far earlier and should have carried more weight. On AIDS, the funding doesn't begin until after he leaves office.
But the fact is that Bush, who began his campaign for president in 1999 by claiming he was a completely different kind of conservative, is beginning to look like the president he promised he would be - a president willing to take on his own party to lead them down a path of conscience-based conservatism; a president willing to use our government's resources to help alleviate great suffering; a president defined less by politics and more by compassion.
What makes this moment so tough to take, however, is that these are things he has done in just the past few weeks. It is hard not to fantasize about what the rest of the presidency might have looked like had this same compassion-based politics been at the philosophical center. Imagine, for instance, what would have happened with Katrina. Imagine the lives saved and city and region already rebuilt and bustling with life and energy. Imagine when it came to drug and alcohol treatment and cancer research and homelessness programs and charity tax credits and on and on what might have been. Imagine if you will how different things in Iraq might look right now and the lives not lost. Still, I am deeply thankful that at the end of his days in the White House, he seems to be remembering what he promised he would do in his first days.
What a president he might have been.
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@ 2:22am
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Wednesday May 30, 2007
Microsoft and hope
I've been asked why I love things like the iphone or why something like Microsoft's new "surface" make me smile. I realize the answer. Hope. Every new device, every new bauble and fangle and jingle and jangle give this sense that things are getting better, improving, and that we are making progress toward a world better than this one. That is the deepest truth of why technology makes me smile. Yes it is just intrinsically fun and neat but it is far deeper than that. It is an almost religious thing - a devotion to the idea that given enough time man can really figure everything out. It isn't true, of course. Hope doesn't actually lie in technology or in any of its derivations. Hope comes from Him alone. But that doesn't mean the gizmos aren't cool.
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Tuesday May 29, 2007
President Bush on Darfur
This morning, President Bush following up on Darfur with sanctions - good for him for upping the pressure. Please, please more.
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@ 9:11am
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Tuesday May 29, 2007
Dissent in the academy allowed?
An interesting article this morning about a very, very popular professor at Iowa State who was apparently denied tenure because he held positive views about intelligent design:
I had an interesting conversation last week with a good friend who is an editor for a major New York publishing house. They are considering a manuscript from a very well respected scientist about intelligent design. They have passed it around to scientists that they have worked with in the past and it has been given positive reviews - the science is strong. Now it is very important here to stress that this book is not a book about creation science. It would actually be offensive to those who believe God created the earth much as we see it now. It does argue, however, that there was a designer to this world and to all life - even if that life does have a common ancestor.
The biggest problem my friend has run into, however, is getting any of the scientists to publicly say anything good about the book. The reason? They would probably be fired from their jobs simply for saying anything positive about the book - no matter how good.
The academy should be about the free exchange of ideas - there is even a well-respected professor at Princeton who believes infanticide is tenured. Shouldn't that same free exchange of ideas and tolerance apply to someone who believes in intelligent design?
An assistant professor who supports intelligent design and was denied tenure at Iowa State University (ISU) was found to have the highest score among the entire faculty, according to the Smithsonian/NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS),which calculates the scientific impact of scientists in astronomy.Should a professor - who doesn't even teach a class on intelligent design - be denied tenure simply because he happens to believe in it? I think not....The ranking system is devised on how much a scientist impacts other colleagues’ research. The more times a person’s papers are cited in other scientific articles or research, the more weight that person receives.
The citation index is normalized since multiple people often author an article, so an article that is cited with more than one author will be weighted less than a paper which has only one author.
The score here looked at articles published from 2001-2007. Calculating Gonzalez normalized index, he received a score of 143. The next closest professor on the ISU staff had a score of 103 and the next best tenured astronomer was 68.
I had an interesting conversation last week with a good friend who is an editor for a major New York publishing house. They are considering a manuscript from a very well respected scientist about intelligent design. They have passed it around to scientists that they have worked with in the past and it has been given positive reviews - the science is strong. Now it is very important here to stress that this book is not a book about creation science. It would actually be offensive to those who believe God created the earth much as we see it now. It does argue, however, that there was a designer to this world and to all life - even if that life does have a common ancestor.
The biggest problem my friend has run into, however, is getting any of the scientists to publicly say anything good about the book. The reason? They would probably be fired from their jobs simply for saying anything positive about the book - no matter how good.
The academy should be about the free exchange of ideas - there is even a well-respected professor at Princeton who believes infanticide is tenured. Shouldn't that same free exchange of ideas and tolerance apply to someone who believes in intelligent design?
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@ 8:36am
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Monday May 28, 2007
Dear reader
A reader writes in response to my short post on Darfur:Rage?Why isn't "Allah" doing anything about the suffering in Darfur?It is his Muslims causing it.This reader has posted frequently in the past about how liberals are destroying the country, about...
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@12:02pm
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Sunday May 27, 2007
Rage
It is hard to escape a sickening thought about the hell going on in Darfur - that one day Jesus will judge us for what we did and did not do to help. Question that? Read what he had to...
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@10:05pm
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Saturday May 26, 2007
Billy Graham 9/11
Pacific231 reminded me of Graham's speech at the National Day of Prayer and Remembrance. I was there at the National Cathedral that amazing day and will always remember the aged Graham standing for peace amidst the cries to kill:Today we...
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@ 5:40pm
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Saturday May 26, 2007
The rich debate continues...
...another reader:When the richest 50% of our society owns 97.2% of all wealth and the bottom 50% owning only 2.8% of all wealth, it is difficult for me to sit here and agree with your reasoning.When 18% of all children...
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Friday May 25, 2007
"Its not injustice to be rich"
from a reader:Re: "Lets talk about big bucks"If I buy a new car or get a raise does that mean you are somehow worse off? Of course not! People in this country are so focused on how they are doing...
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@12:51pm
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Friday May 25, 2007
Let's talk about big bucks
From today's NYT in an article about the amazing disparity in income between chief executives and those in proximity to them:But the widening disparities in business, which show up in a variety of other ways, reflect a dynamic that is...
Thursday May 24, 2007
The power of threats
I have a friend - I will not reveal her sex, her liberal politics, or which website employs her, to protect her identity. We were talking recently about writing and the book that she longs to write. The only problem...
Thursday May 24, 2007
Billy and Jerry
Billy Graham's library opening and Jerry Falwell's funeral provide massive insights into the power of Jesus's Gospel and its impact on politics.At Rev. Falwell's funeral this week none of the important political people he spent his life trying to influence...
Wednesday May 23, 2007
A challenge for all the 2008 presidential candidates
It is called the Food Stamp Challenge. Begun by a bipartisan group of congressmen, the challenge is to live:...on an average food stamp budget -- just $3 a day - ...for one week in order to raise visibility and understanding...
Tuesday May 22, 2007
on John Ashcroft and Attorney General Al
The most telling snippet of White House spin on John Ashcroft came at the end of of Sunday's WaPo article on his "complex tenure:""They resented some of his showboating," said a former White House aide who did not want to...
Monday May 21, 2007
The big questions...
...from a reader:Are there "just" wars? What are the criteria? How do we respond to an "unjust" war and do we participate? This has been asked from the time of Augustine. I am saddened that so many evangelical Christians equate...
Monday May 21, 2007
Please Mr. President
President Carter's remarks about President Bush were further out of bounds than... (fill in a metaphor that works for you). In our day and age of political harshness, of the politics of divide and conquer, of everything else nasty going...
Friday May 18, 2007
President Bush's Good Move
Applause and applause for the immigration compromise. America needs to be known for our compassion - we once were. Newt Gingrich calls it a "compromise of every conservative principle" - if that is the case then conservative principles need a...
Thursday May 17, 2007
Beauty at Liberty University
At Jerry Falwell's beloved university, a new generation of Christians are maturing and they are... not what you would think of when you think of Falwell students. Take, for example, this blog post by a student named Johnnie:When Christians hear...
Thursday May 17, 2007
Media
Ok, per comments, I will give heads up on future media appearances - there aren't any. :-)Here, however, are links to some I did this week:NPR "All Things Considered"Larry King Live - here and here and here and here and...
Thursday May 17, 2007
The new Christian conversation...
...if, as I hope, Rev. Falwell's passing will bring about a new chance to define what it is to be Christian - something more than simply saying no to abortion, no to gay rights, no to alcohol, no to coed...
Thursday May 17, 2007
Al Gonzales - Human Shield
More and more news continues in about the attorney scandal and the morally reprehensible behavior of the man named Al Gonzales in trying to get John Ashcroft, in ICU in a hospital, to rubber stamp the noxious eavesdropping program. There...
Wednesday May 16, 2007
After Jerry Falwell: Recovering Our Faith
Jerry Falwell almost presided over my wedding nearly a decade ago.The reason why he didn’t speaks volumes about why American Christianity will take a long time to recover from his kind of faith.It was 1999, during the dotcom craze. I...
Tuesday May 15, 2007
Billy Graham re: Jerry Falwell
It is always worth reading what Billy Graham has to say:Statement by Evangelist Billy Graham On the Death of Rev. Jerry Falwell Charlotte, May 15, 2007“Jerry Falwell was a close personal friend for many years. We did not always agree...
Tuesday May 15, 2007
Jerry Falwell's Mixed Legacy
Jerry Falwell has died, and so the discussion begins.Usually words about those recently passed are whitewashed to extol every virtue and ignore every vice, but Jerry Falwell's position and life demand as honest an examination as possible.Three Sundays ago Jerry...
Tuesday May 15, 2007
Jerry Falwell's Death
I want to extend my condolences to Rev. Jerry Falwell’s family, congregation, and university community. Death is always the enemy and it is the enemy here. One day, however, Jesus promises that those who follow him will live again. That...
Monday May 14, 2007
Giuliani's "Core Beliefs'?
Mayor Giuliani's abortion talk gets more and more muddled. For starters there was his debate performance where he was for and against and for and against abortion. Then, last week he gave a major speech saying he was absolutely and...
Monday May 14, 2007
Religious right dead? Not so fast...
Last week my friend Cal Thomas highlighted the fact that D. James Kennedy's Center for Reclaiming America for Christ and Center for Christian Statesmanship - long-time members of the conservative Christian coalition - was closing its doors. Cal wrote hopefully:...
Monday May 14, 2007
The Shoe-Blogger
To: Women Who Love Shoes (note: I am foced to include my 20-month old daughter in this category. She can't read – she does, however, LOVE her “pretty shoes” - and there are a growing number of them)From: Man Who...
Monday May 14, 2007
From the Pope
At a mass in Brazil yesterday these words:You believe in the God who is Love: this is your strength, which overcomes the world, the joy that nothing and no one can ever take from you, the peace that Christ won...
Saturday May 12, 2007
The Pope's "Abortion" Address
Thanks to anonymous for supplying the text of the Pope's address that the media reported was essentially about abortion:"I Send You Out on the Great Mission of Evangelizing"My dear young friends!"If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess...
Friday May 11, 2007
Dear Donny (pt. 1)
Thanks for your comments and your passion and your heart that is trying to find God. I noticed in a recent comment you wrote (in part):I have presented my case against them many times, trying to get David to defend...
Friday May 11, 2007
Listening to the Pope
Pope Benedict's trip to Brazil has proven very interesting. His comments about possible excommunication for politicians who vote to legalize abortion have been broadly reported - although the Vatican is now saying that he would not support such excommunication.What fascinates...
Friday May 11, 2007
Things you shouldn't blog about...
So I had this bizarre dream last night. Bizarre mostly because it was so absolutely random. So at the risk of being vivisected, here it goes:I was at some dinner party with random people. After dinner some folks headed off...
Thursday May 10, 2007
The Rev and the Gov
Gov. Romney is taking it to Rev. Sharpton:"It shows that bigotry still exists in some corners," said Romney, who spoke to reporters Wednesday after a campaign event. "I thought it was a most unfortunate comment to make."I am not a...
Thursday May 10, 2007
Hot, controversial, offensive political news
...One thing I've learned from blogging these past months is that any time I blog on political controversy my blog traffic shoots up, there are lots of comments, I get emails, etc. But when I blog on other things -...
Wednesday May 9, 2007
Pharisee Al Sharpton Speaks
Rev. Al Sharpton speaks on faith:"As for the one Mormon running for office, those who really believe in God will defeat him anyways, so don't worry about that; that's a temporary situation," Sharpton said Monday during a debate with Hitchens...
Tuesday May 8, 2007
Senator Sam Brownback's Plea for Kansas
From Senator Brownback:I would like the take a moment and ask for your prayers for the people of my home state of Kansas. Over the last several days, the residents of Greensburg and the surrounding counties in Kansas have been...
Tuesday May 8, 2007
Giuliani gave to Planned Parenthood
And? This is supposed to be news? Is anyone really surprised? NYC paid for abortions when he was mayor. He has long been pro-choice. Why is it even remotely surprising that he gave to Planned Parenthood? It is a perfectly...
Tuesday May 8, 2007
We hate candidates who talk about poverty
Back to those $400 haircuts.What is the difference between a few $400 haircuts and Sen. Clinton's (very, very) expensive suits and Fred Thompson's (very, very) expensive suits? Or what is the difference between those haircuts and the thousands spent by...
Tuesday May 8, 2007
Love the Mac Ads
Some of these ads just make me laugh out loud:Much of it is John Hodgman's acting. Perhaps more is just Apple's irreverence towards Microsoft - the perpetual little brother...in this case, however, the little brother who has become the quarterback,...
Tuesday May 8, 2007
Edwards fights back
John Edwards slaps back at critics who say that his wealth shows he doesn't really care about the poor:"Would it have been better if I had done well and didn't care?" Edwards asked.He is exactly right. So he is rich....
Tuesday May 8, 2007
"We're hoping we'll be able to help..."
From two great people in Sterling, Kansas - a place spared by the tornadoes but not the rain this message to Kim:We are fine and so fortunate. We're hoping we will be able to help with the clean-up efforts in...
Monday May 7, 2007
from Kansas
My wife, Kim, grew up in the middle of Kansas. When people think of Kansas they think of a town just like hers - one square mile with a lone traffic light in the middle of it. From the air...
Monday May 7, 2007
Paris, God, Jail
Paris is going to jail. Thank God...at least that is what she should be doing.First the social policy picture. Paris Hilton will now be just one of the 7 million Americans who are incarcerated or on probation or parole. When...
Monday May 7, 2007
Some thoughts at graduation time...from Steve Jobs
A friend sent me this link to a commencement speech Apple CEO Steve Jobs gave at Stanford a couple of years ago. As might be expected from a man who names his devices - Mac, iPod, iPhone - very simply,...
Saturday May 5, 2007
Have a wonderful Sunday
...and pray for the people of Greensburg, KS, who had their town destroyed by a tornado...and for all those in the midst of the current tornado outbreak.My wife grew up in the middle of Kansas - about 90 miles from...
Friday May 4, 2007
The Religious Right Derby
The most important constituency watching last night's Republican debate is the broadly-defined religious right. It is a group in huge transition - more and more evangelicals are rejecting the abortion- and gay marriage-only focus - but, it is obviously the...
Thursday May 3, 2007
The post-Bush world
The Republican "debate" tonight wasn't a debate - it was 10 guys on Hardball answering Chris Matthews' questions. And if anything jumped out it was that President Bush has no philosophical coattails. There will never be any "Bush conservatives" and...
Thursday May 3, 2007
Heaven bound: Angelina Jolie or Jim Dobson or me?
Time has come out with its list of the 100 most powerful/influential people alongside that list is a list of the 12 most powerful givers.First on that list is Angelia Jolie. Here is the description of her efforts:Cause: Helping refugees,...
Wednesday May 2, 2007
Illegal Americans
There are 12 million people (give or take) illegally in America. Because they are here illegally and because they are poor and end up on welfare, some argue, they should be shipped home. Let's move on from such details as...
Wednesday May 2, 2007
Of Fred and silence
Will Fred or won't Fred? Not quite poetic language, but clear - is Fred Thompson running for president? Reports are out that "opposition researchers" are out scouring for dirt on Thompson. They will certainly find something. Everyone has dirt. The...
Tuesday May 1, 2007
Dunderheadiness
I'm fairly sure dunderheadedness is not a word. But it is what comes to mind when reading about this whole political "showdown" going on in DC at the moment. The Democrats are sending legislation to President Bush with a time...
Tuesday May 1, 2007
"Illegals"
Some say that America is the "shining city on a hill." If that is true then we are a pathetic city if we are trying to rid ourselves of "the illegals."I have my own problems with that metaphor. There was...
Tuesday May 1, 2007
So random as virtually unimaginable...
Peter Gammons is one of the nation's best writers and commentators on that sport/art/obsession known as baseball. It is worth reading his thoughts on the death of St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Josh Hancock. Hancock was killed in a car crash...
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